win or lose (photo source)
three points on blue eagles' two games in the last three days: a defeat against the red warriors last september 6, 2012 that snapped their eight game winning run, and a win against the falcons last september 9, 2012 that clinched their 14th consecutive final four appearance in uaap men's basketball tournament.
flying on troubled skies (photo source)
1. on experimentation. facing teams already eliminated from final four contention on a particular stretch of the season can actually be translated into opportunities to run plays that were created to add variety to the usual mix of offensive and defensive sets of a team. it seems that such is the case in the past two games of the blue eagles. there were new offensive sets as well as different combinations on the rotation seen in these games. some of them actually worked, others still on their way to completion. trusting in the wisdom of coach norman black, this is a very welcome sight especially with the final four at hand, perhaps to keep opposing teams guessing what could be in the blue eagles' playbook and to give the team additional patterns to employ depending on the situation at hand. but with experimentation comes two other essential aspects of the game: execution and effort.
2. on execution. a key ingredient in the ten ateneo wins so far this season has been their ability to execute plays as designed on the drawing board and perfected during practices. the past two games of the blue eagles have been scary of sorts because they seem to have been executing less on their usual and even the new sets of plays. the games against ue and adamson can actually be perceived as lessons on execution especially down the stretch - when the game is on the line.
never back down (photo source)
the game against the red warriors could have been a blowout, but much credit goes to them as they were the ones who actually kept the blue eagles struggling on the floor with their shots. there were too much outside shooting for ateneo in the game, perhaps to remedy the double and even triple-team defense on greg slaughter. kiefer ravena, juami tiongson, and nico salva were not in their usual "sure-shot" mode that we witnessed in their performance against la salle. they also had too many turnovers to count which ue successfully capitalized down the stretch. the stellar play of roi sumang, gene belleza, and chris javier showed how much promise this "all-filipino" team can actually fair against traditional league powerhouses. had the blue eagles' big men switched properly and contested that javier jump shot with 0.4 seconds left, the result of the game could have changed in overtime. but then again, that ateneo defeat is a necessary loss for the team going into the post season. it should keep them humble as well as hungry as their next few games would be against "surprise" teams jockeying for position in the final four like ust and nu.
salva and camson on a shootout (photo source)
against the adamson falcons, the ateneo blue eagles were caught flat footed by eric camson's hot shooting from long range. but salva willingly rose to the occasion, scoring 24 points that mostly came from outside the shaded lane. adamson would have been much scarier as an opponent if a healthy alex nuyles was on the floor, as he has the ability to drive and dish to an open man under the basket or even finish the drive while absorbing contact. the win became rather difficult as the adjustments only worked during the fourth quarter as ravena, salva, and slaughter got their acts going on both offense and defense. a pleasant surprise in the game was nico elorde, who provided some scoring punch for the blue eagles especially as the falcons were keeping the game close. as a bounce-back game, the blue eagles could have performed better by truly showing why they are on top of the standings. though salva was on target and some of our outside bombs found their way to the bottom of the net, they still need to be more consistent in taking care of the ball, rebounding, and even scoring from the mid-range. there is still much work to be done with two games left in the elimination round.
fight for the loose ball (photo source)
3. on effort. looking at the two remaining games for the blue eagles, there's no more reason for them to relax and to be tentative on court. both ue and adamson played with much energy and gusto in terms of offense and defense. there were certain parts of both games when it looked like ateneo did not have the same fire and intensity that they had during their winning streak this season. could it be overconfidence or just plain lack of effort from the players? not reaaly. what the blue eagles need in these final games of the second round is to play the type of game they are actually known for in the league: disciplined, composed, determined, and competitive. that missing edge in their past two games might be something worth finding and bringing into fore as the twice-to-beat advantage and the number one seed are at stake in their games against nu and ust.
The Scores:
September 6, 2012
UE 79 – Belleza 28, Sumang 15, Javier 15, Santos 11, Sumido 7, Duran 3, Villarias 0, Olayon 0, Hernandez 0, Galanza 0.
ATENEO 77 – Slaughter 24, Ravena 15, Chua 11, Gonzaga 9, Tiongson 8, Salva 6, Golla 2, Buenafe 2, Sumalinog 0, Pessumal 0, Elorde 0.
Quarter Scores: 10-19; 34-36; 53-56; 79-77.
September 9, 2012
ADMU 79 – Salva 24, Slaughter 16, Ravena 15, Elorde 10, Chua 6, Tiongson 3, Buenafe 3, Sumalinog 1, Erram 1, Gonzaga 0, Golla 0.
ADu 72 – Camson 26, Cruz 14, Cabrera 10, Monteclaro 8, Brondial 8, Rios 4, Etrone 2, Trollano 0, Petilos 0, Agustin 0.
Quarter Scores: 21-25; 38-38; 55-59; 79-72.
photos from sir philip sison of fabilioh.com
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